Within the next two years, the X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four could be on their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, assuming that the blockbuster Disney and Fox deal is completed. But what’s going to happen to Fox’s X-Men films in the interim? As it turns out, it’s business as usual for Fox and that means that the X-Force movie may begin production well before Marvel Studios welcomes its wayward characters into the fold. Today’s Nerdist News is examining how the X-Force team could potentially be a part of the MCU without losing the cast.

Join guest host and the other merc with a mouth, Amy Vorpahl, as she runs down the basic intel on X-Force. Way back in the early ’90s, Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld revitalized The New Mutants comic and relaunched it as X-Force, a series about a paramilitary mutant team led by the time traveling freedom fighter known as Cable. Both Deadpool and Domino first appeared in one of the last issues of New Mutants, and both eventually joined X-Force as well.

Deadpool 2 is essentially leading into the X-Force movie by introducing both Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino. And the good news for fans of Ryan Reynolds‘ Wade Wilson is that Disney has already expressed interest in keeping Deadpool as a R-rated franchise, presumably with the cast already in place. Because Deadpool is largely separated from the X-Men films, it could make the MCU transition easier for these characters.

We’re still not sure which heroes will make the cut for the X-Force movie, but we do know that Drew Goddard is still attached to write and direct it. Presumably Reynolds, Brolin, and Beetz will all be back for that. Marvel Studios could still ignore the movie even if it happens to come out just when the Disney deal comes to fruition. The way we see it, there are at least two options to keep X-Force as a part of the new Marvel continuity. For example, Marvel can pick and choose which actors they want to keep. Alternately, a Secret Wars-like crossover film could mash everything Marvel together before creating a single MCU at the very end. Either way, we wouldn’t be shocked at all if Deadpool and X-Force arrive in the MCU largely intact.

Do you want to see X-Force within the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Marvel

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